Flashbacks
by mystery of the mist
Summary: When Steve is in the hospital barely hanging onto his life, he remembers different moments from his past.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**This is my fourth **_**Hawaii Five-0**_** story. It has nothing to do with any of my other ones.**_

_**Each chapter will have a different flashback from Steve's childhood, while there will still be scenes taking place in the present. The memories will be in italics.**_

_**I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I'd very much so appreciate your feedback! Thank you for reading and please enjoy!**_

The person in the hospital bed held little resemblance Steve. The fearless leader of Five-0 lacked his usual strength, depending on medical treatment to help him survive. He was frighteningly pale, not something that was a typical characteristic of the Lieutenant Commander.

Mary had flown in from Los Angeles, booking a flight as soon as she got off the phone with Chin. She held her tears in until she boarded the plane, feeling them slowly make their way down her face. She eventually fell into an uneasy sleep filled with nightmares. Her brother promised they'd see each other again. Yes, of course Mary would be seeing him now, yet he would be unconscious in a hospital bed. But he had to wake up. He had to. He promised Mary they would see each other again, and Steve kept his promises. This was something Mary knew and tried to keep thinking, but there was a "what if" she could not possibly avoid. What if Steve...Mary stopped her thought. Thinking negative wouldn't get her anywhere.

Danny was not himself. He didn't talk with his hands as much, keeping the rants to a minimum. Rachel and Grace picked up on this right away. Danny had been considerably happier now that he and Rachel were getting back together. There was so much more life in him, and Rachel immediately saw when it disappeared again. But she understood. One of his best friends was barely hanging onto his life. Grace sensed something wrong in her father's behavior as well, just like her mother. When she asked what was wrong, he gently explained that Steve was hurt very badly and was in the hospital to get better. Grace clung to him, crying because she loved Uncle Steve so much and just wanted him to get better so she could see him.

Chin thought back to the last time he saw Steve looking vulnerable. The only time he could remember was when Steve was fourteen. Chin was at his training officer, John McGarrett's house. Sarah, John's wife, was kneeling in front of the couch when they walked in. In front of her, Steve was covered in blankets. "He has a fever," Sarah explained softly. "It was very high this morning. Stevie has never been so sick. I thought I was going to have to take him to the hospital. I was so worried, but it dropped a few degrees." She lovingly put a hand on her son's shoulder. "Are you feeling any better, honey?" Steve gave a weak nod. But that time was nothing in comparison to how weak Steve looked now.

Kono was at a loss. As a rookie, she wasn't aware of just how dangerous the job could be until this happened. It had been a drive by shooting with Steve taken by total surprise. The shooter was the brother of someone Five-0 had just arrested in their latest case. Steve had been walking to his truck as the rest of the team also walked to their cars, ready to leave for the day. When Kono agreed to join Five-0, she was not prepared for something like this to happen. The team was close, a very tight family. But now their leader was fighting for his life, a battle that could go either way at the moment. Seeing the team in a worried state like never before made Kono realize just how close the family actually was.

Catherine was an absolute mess. No one knew how serious her relationship with Steve actually was until she burst out into tears upon seeing him laying in the hospital bed. Rachel was familiar with the feeling of helplessness from a previous time back in New Jersey when Danny had been shot. She comforted Catherine as best she could, but Rachel knew from experience that gentle words would barely calm Catherine down. The Lieutenant had never seen Steve so broken, not even the time when she went to see him in a Navy hospital after he had been badly injured on a mission. Even though she had cried a lot at that time, it was nothing compared to the never ending sobbing taking place now.

The doctor said Steve could wake up at any time. Catherine had managed to stop sobbing long enough to ask why he wasn't awake now. Sighing, the doctor said waking up was entirely at Steve's will. If he didn't want to wake up, he wouldn't. He could be reliving moments of his life that he didn't want to leave.

_Steve was three years old. Wherever they went, John and Sarah always received compliments about their adorable son. The reason Steve remembered being three years old so vividly was because of his sister. His parents told him he was going to be a big brother and soon Mary Ann was born. Steve did not like Mary at first and he made that very clear. She took up all the attention just because she cried. She was so annoying!_

_Steve remembered one time when Mary was in her crib taking a nap. He snuck into the room to find his sister awake, her eyes staring at him when he walked up to the crib. "I don't like you," he said, trying to make the face he'd seen on his parents many times before when he was put in time-out. He heard his mother coming down the hall, calling his name. Steve realized he had to make this fast, so he quickly explained his reasons for disliking his sister. "You cry too much. You're too loud. You get all the attention. You're a stupid baby!" His voice rose at the end, loud enough to send Mary into tears._

_"Steven John McGarrett!" Sarah exclaimed, practically running to lift Mary in her arms. Steve winced at his full name because that always meant he was in trouble. "How long have you been in here? I've been looking everywhere for you! What did you do to make your sister cry?"_

_"She cries all the time!" Steve complained. "I didn't do anything!"_

_"I heard you yelling. What have I told you about lying, Steven?"_

_"That lying is bad and I always need to tell the truth." Steve repeated the words his mother told him before._

_The door to the house opened. Steve realized he would definitely be in trouble now. If Mommy had to make sure Mary was okay, she wouldn't have any time to put him in time-out. But now that his father was home, he would have to serve his punishment._

_It wasn't long before John was standing in the doorway of the room, watching his wife holding their daughter, their son standing in front of them. He walked over, knowing something was wrong. "What happened?"_

_"Steven, tell your father what you did," Sarah instructed sternly._

_The three-year-old looked at his father guiltily. "I yelled and the baby started crying," he admitted. Steve always called his sister "the baby" and never by her name. In his mind, he didn't like her so he didn't have to call her Mary._

_"And what else, Steven?" Sarah prompted._

_"And I lied," Steve whispered, looking at the ground._

_John lifted the little boy off his feet. "Let's go to your room, Steve." He walked to the second door from the room and went in, putting Steve on his bed. He shut the door before returning to sit next to his son. "Tell me why you yelled."_

_"I don't like the baby." Steve crossed his arms stubbornly._

_"Why don't you like Mary?"_

_"She gets all the attention and she's just a stupid baby! She's so loud and she cries all the time!"_

_John sighed. "She's a baby, Steve. She can't talk yet so crying is her way of letting us know she needs something."_

_"But why does she have to get all the attention?"_

_"You're used to it being just you. You don't like sharing your mom's and my attention, do you?" Steve shook his head. "Buddy, it sounds like you're jealous of your sister."_

_"I am _not _jealous of that stupid baby!"_

_"Steven, listen to me. You need to calm down. I don't want to hear you call Mary a stupid baby one more time, you got that?" Steve nodded._

_After a moment passed and Steve had calmed down a bit, John suggested, "Maybe we can do something, just you and me. We can go to-"_

_"A football game?" Steve finished for him, his eyes looking hopeful._

_"Sure, buddy." John didn't need to hear what Steve wished to do since he already knew his son always wanted to go to local football games. "There's a game tonight."_

_John put Steve in his car seat before driving to the nearby high school. The whole ride Steve did not stop talking about football and how he was going to play someday._

As Steve thought back on this day, he felt a hand squeeze his. He heard his sister's voice pleading with him to wake up. The sister he spent months hating as a toddler just because she needed attention. Now he loved her and did everything he could to make sure she was okay.

He wanted to open his eyes, he really did, wanted to see everyone so he could tell them he was okay. But he had so many memories he wanted to go through. He just needed a little more time before he opened his eyes again.

_The football game was awesome. Steve couldn't see with all the people around, so his dad held him high in his arms. There were certain things he remembered about that day. The action on the field. The cheering. The crowd. The food. The group of teenage girls who kept saying how adorable he was and though he liked all the attention from the pretty girls at first, they started to get annoying. But the most important thing he remembered was his dad. John had cheered alongside his son. That was one of the best memories from his early childhood Steve had about his father._

_When they pulled into the driveway after the game, John could hear the sound of muffled crying from the backseat. He turned around to find his son's hands over his face, trying the best he could to stop his tears. "Hey, buddy, what's wrong?"_

_"Mommy's gonna be so mad at me!" Steve wiped his eyes. "I woke up Mary and I lied and she's gonna be so mad at me!"_

_"No she's not, Stevie. Mommy's gonna be a little disappointed in you but she could never be mad at her big boy, now, could she?"_

_At the mention of his mom's nickname for him, Steve began to stop crying. "Are you sure?"_

_"Yeah, buddy. Let's go."_

_John carried Steve inside where they found Sarah sitting on the rocking chair in the living room holding Mary. He put the three-year-old on the ground. Steve slowly walked over to his mother, an apologetic look on his face._

_"Mommy?"_

_"Yes, sweetheart?"_

_"I'm sorry."_

_Sarah smiled comfortingly. "I know you are, Stevie."_

_"You're not mad at me?"_

_Shaking her head, Sarah assured him, "I could never be mad at my big boy."_

_Steve looked up at his father, realizing he had been right. He turned back to his mother and sister. "Mary, I'm sorry I said you were a stupid baby and that you cry too much and that you're loud and that I made you wake up when I yelled." He leaned forward to kiss his sister's forehead. "I love you."_

_Sarah's smile grew larger, relieved Steve was finally getting over the jealousy he had of Mary. She carefully handed Mary to John, picking up Steve. "I'm not mad at you, Stevie. Don't worry." She hugged him close, the last thing Steve remembering was her singing him to sleep._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**This is my fourth **_**Hawaii Five-0 **_**story. It has nothing to do with any of my other ones.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**Here's the second flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

Mary lets more tears fall as she squeezes Steve's hand, thinking back over their childhood. Sure, they fought sometimes, but that was a sibling thing. Mary remembers her parents telling her stories about when she was a baby. Apparently, Steve did not like her at all in the beginning, but eventually warmed up to her.

She remembers other moments, as well, and wonders if Steve has the same memories or if he's forgotten them over the years.

_Steve is still three years old in the next flashback. He was playing in the back yard while his mother sat in the shade holding Mary. It was late in the day, the sun starting to go down. Sarah had just gotten home from work._

_Not surprisingly, Steve had a football in his hands. He threw it as far as his three-year-old arms could throw, chasing after it with a grin on his face._

_"Mommy, did you see that throw?" Steve called, picking up the football._

_Smiling, Sarah nodded. "You're so good at football, Stevie."_

_Her son started to run over to her. He was close by when he tripped._

_Sarah immediately stood up when she heard Steve start to cry. She rushed over, lifting him up. "Where hurts you, Stevie?"_

_"Two owies!" He points to his knees, each one sporting a cut._

_"Let's go inside. You'll be all better in no time."_

_As quickly as she could holding a toddler and a baby at once, Sarah went inside the house and upstairs, where she put Mary in her crib._

_"I'll be right back, Stevie. Can you stay right here?" she asked softly, placing Steve on her and John's bed._

_Steve nodded through his tears, watching his mother go into the bathroom. His scraped knees hurt a lot, but he knew he shouldn't be worried. His mommy was a nurse at a hospital and it was her job to make kids feel better. She would make his scraped knees stop hurting._

_"This is going to sting a little bit, Stevie. Can you be brave for me, sweetheart?"_

_"Yes," Steve said, preparing himself for the sting that was coming. He flinched when he felt it, covering his face with his hands, letting more tears out. But Mommy was talking to him the whole time, comforting him, and said he was doing a good job at being brave, that he was much braver than the kids she saw at work._

_"All done, Stevie," Sarah announced. She picked up her son, hugging him close as he cried, though his sobs were beginning to fade. "You're so brave, honey."_

_"But I cried," Steve said, wiping his tears._

_"It's okay to cry." Sarah sat down on the bed with Steve on her lap. "You were so brave. I wish all the kids I see at work are as brave and as nice as you are, Stevie."_

_"I'm brave and nice?" Steve asked, looking up at his mother._

_Sarah smiled down at him and nodded. "You're my brave, nice, big boy."_

_"I won't cry next time."_

_Frowning at her son's statement, Sarah repeated herself from earlier, "It's okay to cry."_

_"I was scared, Mommy," Steve admitted with a sigh._

_"It's okay to be scared and it's okay to cry. You know that, right, Stevie?"_

_"Yes."_

_"Your knees are going to feel better so soon. You just need some rest and then you won't remember they were even hurt."_

After talking to the doctor in the hallway, Catherine walks into the room, sitting on the opposite side of the bed as Mary. She mirrors her, picking up Steve's hand in her own, just as his sister had already done so.

"The doctor says it's all up to him," Catherine says quietly, staring at Steve's eyes, wishing for them to open.

Mary nods. "Um, look, uh...Catherine, we didn't really get off to, uh, you know, a good start. But I was wrong about you."

Catherine is confused, and the look she has shows it. "What do you mean?"

"I honestly thought you were only with my brother so you could get into bed with him," Mary admits with a sigh. "But now I see I was wrong, and I'm really sorry for thinking this."

Sighing as well, Catherine says, "I understand where you're coming from. You heard us all night-which I'm very sorry for, not to mention realy embarrasssed-and then you saw me leaving wearing just Steve's shirt. I get what you mean."

Mary is silent, staring at her brother again. "Do you think he can hear us?"

"Not sure." Catherine studies her boyfriend's face, looking for a hint that he was listening to their conversation.

"You know, this is has made me think of a lot of things from when we were kids," Mary points out with a short laugh as she thinks back on memories.

_The stinging in his knees started to fade away, and Steve was now sitting on his mother's lap as she read to him. He was falling asleep, forcing himself to open his eyes every time they threatened to close. But he couldn't fall asleep now. He wanted to hear his mommy finish the story. There were just two pages left. He could stay awake, he knew he could._

_"The end," Sarah proclaimed as she closed the book. She noticed Steve was falling asleep, his eyes half closed. "Time for bed, Stevie."_

_The three-year-old didn't protest as his mother carried him to his room and tucked him into his bed. "Goodnight, Stevie. Mommy loves you."_

_"I love you, too, Mommy."_

_Sarah kissed his forehead, smiling when she could hear his soft snores before she even left the room._

* * *

><p><em>The next day was Saturday, meaning Sarah did not have to work. She lifted Steve into her arms as soon as he woke up, carrying him into the kitchen.<em>

_"Time for breakfast," she stated as she put Steve down on a chair at the table. Sarah put a plate in front of him, watching his eyes grow excited at the sight of so much food. "Are your knees feeling better, sweetie?"_

_Steve nodded as he took the first bite of his breakfast. In fact, he had fogotten all about how he scraped his knees when he was playing outside yesterday. Mommy made him feel better, taking care of the cuts right away._

_"They don't even hurt me a lot anymore!"_

_Sarah smiled. "That's great, sweetheart."_

_Soon the kitchen was as loud and crazy as it normally was when John carried Mary downstairs. Having two small children was exactly that-loud and crazy. But John and Sarah share a look that says it was very much so worth it. Totally, absolutely worth the loudness and craziness because they were a family. At the end of the day, that's all that matters._


	3. Chapter 3

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**This is the third flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

It's just Catherine in the room with Steve now, accompanied by the sounds of the machines assisting Steve's survival. Mary left only seconds ago to get something to eat in the hospital cafeteria. Catherine holds Steve's hand in her own, afraid that if she lets go, he'll let go. Permanently. She shudders at the thought.

She wonders what Steve could be thinking about. Was he reliving experiences from his past, like the doctor said he could be? She just wants him to wake up, to see the life in him. All Catherine can do now is wait. And hope.

_Again in this flashback Steve is three years old. He was supposed to be sleeping, he knew that, but he just couldn't fall asleep, so he climbed out of bed and made his way downstairs. Through the window closest to him Steve could tell it was dark out, pitch black, way past his bedtime._

_He saw Mommy and Daddy sitting together in front of the TV, but they weren't watching it. They were too busy talking to each other, and then Mommy smiled at something Daddy said, and then they kissed._

_"Ew," Steve whispered._

_When they finally stopped kissing, he continued to make his way downstairs. Mommy and Daddy still didn't notice he was there._

_As soon as he saw what was on TV, Steve wished he stayed upstairs in his room, because whatever show was on was very scary._

_"What happened?" he asked, covering his face with his hands so he couldn't see what was going on. Unfortunately, he could still hear the show so he had to move his hands to cover his ears, squeezing his eyes shut._

_"Stevie, what are you doing out of bed?" Sarah questioned upon hearing her son speaking. She immediately went to pick up Steve while John turned the television off._

_"I couldn't sleep," Steve explained. "That was so scary!"_

_"You saw what was on TV?" John asked, walking over to his wife and son._

_Steve nodded. "Is everyone okay?"_

_"Oh, sweetie, it's just a show. It's not real. Everyone's fine," Sarah comforted. "Let's get you upstairs, okay?"_

_Once Steve was tucked into bed and his parents left the room, the nightmares started._

Again Catherine wonders what Steve is thinking about. Whatever it is, she hopes he isn't having nightmares. He doesn't deserve an uneasy sleep. Little does she know is while present-day Steve is reliving his past, three-year-old Steve is the one actually having nightmares.

_The show on TV. It was all he could see when he closed his eyes._

_At the sound of the first scream, Sarah dashed into Steve's room. She realized what he had seen on television would cause him to have a difficult time falling asleep._

_"Honey, you're okay," she said soothingly, sitting on the bed and lifting Steve in her arms. "I'm right here, Stevie. Can you tell me what happened?"_

_"I had a bad dream," he stated. "It was about the show."_

_"It's not real, Stevie. It's all pretend. You don't have to worry about anything. You know that, right, sweetheart?"_

_"I know, Mommy."_

_"Alright. Ready to go to sleep?"_

_Steve nodded, moving to lay down on his bed._

_"Goodnight, sweetie. I love you."_

_"Love you, too, Mommy."_

_On that note, Sarah turned to go back to bed herself._

_The second scream sent John running to his son's room. This time Steve was curled up in a ball, wrapped tightly in a blanket, fighting off whatever was haunting him in his dreams._

_"Hey, buddy, wake up, it's okay," John said as he gently unwrapped the blanket. He lifted Steve and asked, "Did you have another bad dream?"_

_"Yeah. This one was really scary."_

_"How about you sleep in our room? That'll make you feel better, right?"_

_Steve nodded. "Okay."_

_John carried Steve down to his and Sarah's room where his wife was already waiting for them._

_"Oh, my poor baby," Sarah whispered sadly when John placed Steve on the bed. "Two bad dreams in one night."_

_"I'm okay, Mommy."_

_"I know you are, honey. You're so brave."_

_"Goodnight, Mommy and Daddy," Steve said with a yawn._

_His mother's "Goodnight, sweetheart," and his father's "Goodnight, buddy," were the last things he heard before he fell asleep, this time no nightmares interfering._

* * *

><p><em>The next morning Steve wakes up to find his mom still asleep. His dad was awake, but still home. Steve was confused. Usually his father had to leave early for work.<em>

_"Daddy? Don't you have to go to work?" he whispered, staying quiet so he wouldn't wake Mommy up._

_"It's Saturday, Stevie. I'm home today."_

_"Mommy isn't awake yet."_

_"That's right, we don't want to wake her up. How about we go get some breakfast?" At Steve's nod, John carried his son out of the room._

_Steve was confused when they entered his room. "Are we going to get breakfast?"_

_"Yeah. I thought we'd go out to eat, so you need to change out of your pajamas," John said as he found clothes for Steve. After helping the three-year-old change, he brought Steve downstairs._

_"Mommy and Mary aren't coming with us?" Steve asked his father._

_"We'll bring something home for them. It'll be easier if we do that than having to wake up Mommy and Mary, right, buddy?"_

_"Right, 'cause Mary's a baby and it takes a long time to get her ready to leave."_

_John wrote a quick note telling Sarah where they were going in case she woke up before they got back. He left the note on the kitchen table before bringing his son out to the car._

_Once they were out of the driveway, Steve asked, "Why was that show so scary?"_

_John took his time before answering, thinking about what he was going to say, wanting his reply to be understood by his three-year-old son. "What was on TV was a grown-up show. It was about cops that were solving a case to protect the good people."_

_"Like you, Daddy? 'Cause you're a cop and you solve crimes and you protect people, so is your work really scary?"_

_John sighed. "Sometimes you see things you don't want to see. But that's not the whole job. Protecting people, that's a big part of it."_

_"So just that part of the show was scary?"_

_"Yeah. The rest was about cops solving a crime to protect people."_

_"I'm too little to watch grown-up shows. I'm only three."_

_"When you get bigger, you'll watch grown-up shows, but now you're sticking to kid shows, right, bud?"_

_Steve nodded. "Yeah."_

Catherine turns her head to the door when she hears footsteps. It's Danny, the one she hears ranting in the background about anything and everything when Steve calls. He was the one who called her.

"You should get some rest," he says after standing there for a minute. His voice sounds different when he isn't ranting. He sounds serious.

Catherine sighs. "I know." She's surprised at how weak she sounds when she talks. She clears her throat, hoping to gather more strength into her voice. "I just don't want to leave his side."

Now Danny sighs. "It might be better if you don't see him like this."

"If I don't see him broken?"

Catherine's question goes unanswered because they both know that's the truth. Reluctantly, Catherine rises to her feet, because she knows Danny is right. She follows him out to the hallway where she hasn't been since she arrived. Mary had already been in the room when she got there and Danny was coming on at the same time she was.

"This is my daughter, Grace," Danny introduces, placing a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "The other two members of Five-0, Chin and Kono, just left with Mary to get something to eat."

"You can sit next to me," Grace invites, gesturing to the chair beside her.

"Okay." Catherine doesn't really know how to talk to kids, or if she even likes them, seeing as she's never really talked to any children before, but Grace seems to be sweet.

"Can I tell you something?" Grace asks, looking up at Catherine.

Catherine nods. "Sure."

"I can tell you're scared. But it's okay to be scared. I am, too. I was scared when Daddy was in the hospital but he was okay. I think Uncle Steve is going to be okay, too."

Catherine smiles at the little girl sitting next to her. She feels a little more optimistic, as if she needed to hear someone else say they thought Steve would be okay. "Thank you for making me feel better, Grace." She looks at Danny. "You have a beautiful daughter."

Talking to Grace makes Catherine realize she likes kids. Maybe she and Steve would start a family one day. She prayed for him to wake up so that could happen.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**This is the fourth flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

_**And a big thank you goes out to **_**alwaysateen _for the idea!_**

Catherine smiles when she feels Grace hold her hand. The little girl is truly adorable. Danny is lucky to have such a sweet daughter.

"Uncle Steve is gonna be okay," Grace says, repeating herself for a countless time. Her words give Catherine more faith every time she says them. Everyone needs to stay positive, and Grace, whether the sweet girl realizes it or not, is making sure that happens.

"You're right, Grace." Catherine gives her hand a gentle squeeze. "He's strong and he'll be okay."

Danny's phone rings, and he walks down the hallway to answer it. After a brief conversation, he returns to where his daughter is sitting with Catherine.

"We have a lead on..." He was about to say shooter, but caught himself at the sight of Grace listening. "A lead on the case." Catherine's nod tells him she understands what he means. "It's really big, but I don't want to leave-"

"But you have to catch the people who hurt Uncle Steve." Grace's comment is serious, her eyes locking with her father's to show how important she knew this was.

Danny sighs. "Alright. Catherine, do you mind staying here with her?"

"Of course. We'll be fine."

"Thank you. Grace," he says as he crouches in front of the chairs. "You're going to stay here with Catherine, unless you want to go to your mom's-"

"No!" Grace cuts him off. "I need to be here for Uncle Steve."

Danny is proud of how determined his daughter is. "Okay. Be good, you got that?"

"I always am, Daddy."

Danny smiles. "I know you are." He kisses her forehead before standing up again. "Thanks, Catherine."

"No problem."

Grace and Catherine watch Danny until he disappears around a corner of the hallway. It's just the two of them now, with the exception of the pair of HPD officers standing at the door of Steve's room.

"Catherine? Can I ask you a question?"

"Go ahead."

"Are you Uncle Steve's girlfriend?"

Catherine finds herself smiling at Grace's words. "Yes."

"Since you're Uncle Steve's girlfriend, can I call you Auntie Catherine?"

Catherine gets a warm feeling in her heart. A very short while ago she was unsure if she even liked kids. Now she was sitting beside Grace who wanted her permission to refer to her as an aunt. "You can call me 'Auntie Catherine'. Definitely."

Grace smiles and holds her new aunt's hand. "Now we're officially family, Auntie Catherine."

Catherine genuinely laughs, something she thought she would never do as long as Steve was unconscious.

But even though the family scene is very nice, Catherine knows something is missing. And that something is Steve.

_Steve is now four years old. Mary, his sister, has turned a year old and is walking now. But Steve is past that moment, and all he wants to do now is learn how to swim. He can see the ocean from his bedroom and he wants to be able to swim, not have to hold on to Mommy or Daddy when they go to the beach in the back of their house._

_"Mommy?" Steve asked through a yawn one night when his mother was tucking him into bed._

_"Yes, sweetheart?"_

_"I wanna learn how to swim."_

_"Alright, I'll talk to Daddy about it," Sarah said. "Just get some sleep now."_

_The next day, Steve is surprised when his father is home earlier than usual. Typically John worked long hours, but not today._

_"Are you ready to learn how to swim, buddy?"_

_Steve's eyes grew large with excitement. "Really?"_

_John nodded. "Yeah. Let's get you ready to go."_

_"I thought we were going swimming," Steve said, his tone slightly disappointed despite his effort to hide it, when his dad put him in his car seat._

_"We are. Just not in the ocean. We're going to a pool."_

Mary walks over to Grace and Catherine, sitting on the other side of Grace. "Anything new?"

Catherine shakes her head sadly. "Nothing."

Mary sighs. "This doesn't seem like him. He's always active. He goes swimming at an hour nobody should be awake at, just like our dad used to."

_Steve clung to his father as they descended the steps into the pool. The water was cold at first and Steve's teeth were chattering a little._

_"You can touch the bottom here, bud," John said, carefully putting his son on his feet. Steve was a bit taller than most kids his age, so the water covered his shoulders at the three feet mark._

_John began to walk backwards causing Steve, who was holding his hands with a death grip, the poor kid was so scared, to walk forwards._

_"You okay, buddy?"_

_Steve nodded, not letting his grip go. "Just scared."_

_"That's okay. It's normal. Are you ready to learn now?"_

_They spent another hour there, just brushing upon basics. John promised his son they'd come back the next day._

_It was when they were getting out of the pool that Steve heard it. It was the sound of teenage girls. He sighed. Girls always thought he was cute. Sometimes he just needed space._

_"Aw, you're so adorable!" one girl exclaimed._

_"How old are you, honey?" another asked._

_"Four," Steve snapped with a glare, trying to show them he didn't want to talk to them._

_"Steven, by nice," John scolded._

_"You're so cute!" a third girl stated._

_"I know. People say that all the time."_

_John shook his head and couldn't help smiling at his son's antics. "Alright, Steve, time to go."_

_As they walked away from the pool, Steve asked, "Why do girls always say I'm cute?"_

_"They think all little kids are adorable."_

_"I'm _not _a little kid. I'm a big boy. Mommy says so."_

_John smiled as he placed Steve on a chair and wrapped a towel around him. "That's right, Steve. Mommy says that."_

"Seriously, the tie? You still wear it?" Mary questions when Danny comes back.

"Yes, because this is what someone who does this job is supposed to look like. This way people know I'm a detective."

"Oh, they know you're something, alright."

"You know what? You're just like your brother. That's not a compliment."

"I'm hurt, Williams."

Their joking doesn't go on for much longer. They're not able to ignore the reality going on.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**This is the fifth flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

There's nothing to do but wait. Eventually Grace falls into an uneasy sleep as she sits in her father's lap, her Danno's arms wrapped around her tightly.

_In the next flashback, Steve was still four years old._

_Steve wasn't the slightest bit pleased with what happening. It was official. He hated the doctor._

_He used to be brave and never minded going, but now he had a reason to hate it. His throat was hurting him a lot. That's how it all started._

_He ended up having tonsillitis. He had that before and the doctor said he had to get his tonsils out so he wouldn't get tonsillitis again. He didn't understand what that meant at first. He didn't even know what tonsils were. Then his mom explained everything to him._

_"I have to go to the hospital?" Steve questioned after his mother finished explaining what it meant to have surgery. "Was I bad?"_

_"Oh, no, sweetheart, not at all," Sarah assures him. "You're going to the hospital so your throat will stop hurting."_

_Despite the countless reassurances his mother gives him, Steve is still scared when they enter the hospital the next morning. He's not in a good mood; Mommy woke him up early so they would be on time. Steve thought she woke him up _too _early._

_Steve insisted on walking by himself, not have his mom carry him, so he held onto Sarah's hand as they walked through the hallway. They came across the nurses' station where Sarah reported for work every morning._

_"Hi, Stevie," Sarah's best friend Leah, also a nurse, greeted._

_"Hi, Auntie Leah."_

_"I hear you're getting your tonsils out today."_

_"I don't wanna."_

_"It'll be over before you know it and then your throat won't hurt anymore."_

_Steve sighed. "I guess so."_

_He grew bored as he heard Mommy and Leah talking about girl stuff. They were talking about Leah's upcoming wedding, just three weeks away._

_"Please thank John again for introducing me to Tom," Leah said. __She was getting married to Tom, an officer who worked with Steve's dad._

_"Are you ready, honey?" Steve heard Mommy ask. He looked up at her and nodded, but his eyes were wide and filled with fear of what was going to happen._

_"Good luck, Stevie," Auntie Leah wished, giving him a quick hug before they left._

_"Thank you," Steve replied, remembering his manners like Mommy and Daddy taught him._

_This time Steve allowed his mother to carry him. His dad was already in the waiting room._

_"I dropped Mary off at my mom's house," John explained. "Grandma says good luck, Stevie."_

_Steve nodded, but nothing could ease his fears. __His parents sat down and he was placed on his father's lap, waiting. The waiting was the worst part in Steve's opinion._

_Sarah groaned when she saw who just walked into the waiting room. She had been so worried this would happen._

_"What's wrong, Sarah?" John asked, looking around the room for the sign of any threat._

_"No, it's nothing like that, John. You see that nurse over there by the door? Her name is Gwen. She's awful, just should not be working in pediatrics. The only reason she got hired is she knows people who work here. I can't believe she's going to be Stevie's nurse."_

_"She could be here for someone else, you never know."_

_Sarah shook her head. "I had this feeling yesterday, and it's back today. My poor Stevie is going to have to deal with her. Why couldn't it be Leah? It just has to be Gwen."_

_As if on cue, Gwen walked over. "Sarah," she greeted in monotone, not the kind of voice to use for being a nurse in pediatrics, which involved working with scared children._

_"Gwen_."

_"You can bring your son back to his room now." She gave them the room number and said, "I'll be by soon."_

_"Great," Sarah muttered as Gwen walked away. "Alright, let's go."_

_Steve's dad carried him and his mom walked beside them as they made their way to the assigned room. With every step closer, Steve felt even more nervous than he already was._

_There were other kids in the hallway who said hello to his mom. She worked there so everyone knew her, including the nurse that talked to them earlier, Gwen. Mommy didn't like her so that wasn't a good sign._

_When they got into the room, John put Steve on the bed. His feet didn't reach the ground so he kicked his legs nervously. "How much longer?" he asked his parents._

_"It'll be over soon, Stevie," his mother replied as she sat next to him and pulled him close._

_Soon Gwen came into the room, but just as she started to talk, Leah came in._

_"Gwen, you're needed in room 1247," she stated. "I'll take care of things in here."_

_Gwen, her attitude as pleasant as ever, nodded and left the room. Sarah grinned as soon as she was gone. __"What did you do, Leah?"_

_"I just found out Gwen was going to be Steve's nurse and I got called to help in 1247, so I switched with her."_

_Steve didn't remember much after that except for his parents' promise to be there when he woke up. He was given something (a big word he didn't know how to say-he thinks it was anesthesia) to help him fall asleep._

"Is Uncle Steve still okay?" Grace asks when she wakes up, rubbing her eyes.

"He's fine, Grace, don't worry," Danny replies, his arms still around his daughter. He finds it ironic that he tells her not to worry because isn't worrying exactly what he's doing right now?

_When Steve woke up, he found his parents had kept their promise. His dad was standing beside his bed. His mom was a little further away and had changed into scrubs. Sarah was pretending to be working, but she was watching her son._

_"Hey, buddy," he heard his dad say. "You did so good." He noticed Steve looking at his mom and it was clear he was wondering why she wasn't next to him. "Mommy has to work now, but-."_

_"I had to be here when my Stevie woke up," Sarah finished for him. "I have to get back to work. I'll come check on you when you're in your own room, sweetie."_

Back in the present, Steve knows that just like his parents were there when he woke up then, there would be people here when he woke up, and that would be soon. There were just so many memories...


	6. Chapter 6

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**This is the sixth flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

_**A shout out to **_**SugarMuffin08 _for the idea of bonding time between Steve and Mary. Thank you!_**

It's raining now, the dark gray sky matching the moods of everyone waiting outside Steve's hospital room. A doctor just went to check on him but sadly announced there was nothing new.

When the doctor leaves, Mary stands up and announces, "I'm going to go sit with him. I need to talk to him." She doesn't know if he'll actually be able to hear, but there are things that need to be said. She walks into the room, the sound of the rain just outside the window echoing her footsteps.

_A thunderstorm struck one day late in the evening. Steve used to be afraid of storms back when he was three and just a little kid, but he had grown up and turned four years old, so he wasn't been scared of storms anymore. He didn't mind the rain, thunder, and lightning, but his sister seemed to disagree with him. She fussed whenever she heard thunder and squinted when she saw lightning. Mary didn't like storms, something that was understandable for the you girl who, after all, was only a year old._

_"Why is Mary scared?" Steve questioned, looking at his sister with a confused expression. Thunderstorms weren't that scary. They were just a lot of rain with some lightning and thunder, nothing to be scared of._

_"She's afraid of thunderstorms, Stevie," Sarah explained, sitting on the couch as she held Mary._

_Steve sighed. "But thunderstorms aren't scary."_

_"Maybe not to you, me, or your dad, but Mary's still little and she's afraid. You used to be scared, too."_

_"But not anymore," Steve said firmly. "I'm not scared of them anymore."_

_John entered the room with three flashlights in his hands and set them down on an end table. "We're all set in case the power goes out."_

_That was exactly what happened not even five minutes later. Steve covered his ears when Mary screamed. His dad turned on a flashlight and Mary started to calm down._

_"It's okay, Mary. It's just a storm," Steve said awkwardly. "It's okay."_

_Sarah smiled and put Mary on her feet beside Steve. "Maybe you can calm her down, Stevie."_

_Steve nodded. "Okay." But he wasn't sure. He was still a little jealous of Mary. He didn't understand why it was so cute that Mary could walk. And why did everyone make a big deal whenever she said a word? Steve could say sentences but nobody made a big deal out of that._

_"Steve," Mary called, trying to get her brother's attention. It sounded like she struggled to say his name but the look on her face showed how proud she was of herself to be able to say a new word._

_Steve had to admit he was happy Mary finally said his name. Her first words were Mommy and Dadd, but she never said Steve until now._

Mary is in Steve's room sitting beside his bed, holding his hand as she thinks about what the doctor said a while ago. Steve could be having flashbacks, reliving moments from his past, going through his childhood memories.

Mary thinks back to when she was a little kid. She looked up to her older brother, always following him around. He got annoyed by her easily and said she couldn't play with him and his friends. They used to say girls couldn't play with them, but Mary knew this wasn't the case. She punched one of her brother's friends once and gave the kid a black eye. Since then they were all afraid of her. She always did get mad very easily.

_Mary grew angry when Steve didn't respond immediately. She raised her hand and slapped his arm repeatedly until her father lifted her away._

_"You don't ever hit your brother, Mary Ann," John scolded, but that wouldn't do any good. Mary was only a year old. She didn't understand that she wasn't supposed to hit people._

_Lightning flashed again and Mary clung to her dad, squeezing her eyes shut. She whimpered when thunder rang out shortly after._

"I don't know if you can hear me or not, but I'm still going to talk to you," Mary declares, giving her brother's hand a squeeze. She adds, "This is good because you can't interrupt me even if you get mad at what I'm going to tell you. You asked me what the incident was in LA. I'll tell you."

Even though Steve doesn't give any sign that he can hear her, Mary thinks he's listening. She just knows, so she continues speaking. "It was stupid, really, all a misunderstanding. It was my boyfriend's fault. He was in a band. Last time I ever date a drummer." She rolls her eyes. "Anyway, we're in some store and he didn't have enough money to buy something. Apparently he slipped the CD into my bag. Bottom line is I got caught. Nothing happened to me, though. He got charged with shoplifting once the cops found out it was him."

Mary has to admit that she feels better after telling Steve what happened. She didn't like keeping this from him when he asked about it.

"There's something else I want to tell you," Mary says. "When we were kids and I followed you around everywhere, I always knew you were annoyed by that, but I looked up to you. I still do. You're my older brother and I just want you to wake up and talk to me!" Tears start falling down her cheeks.

Mary could swear she felt Steve's hand, albeit weakly, squeeze her own.

"Steve?" Her voice is hopeful. "Can you hear me, Steve? It's me. It's Mary. Stevie?" She uses the nickname Steve went by until he was six years old.

Even though he shows no sign of having heard her, Mary knows Steve squeezed her hand.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**This is the seventh flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

_**Two shout-outs for this chapter: amblue36 and SugarMuffin08. Thank you! The idea of the first time Steve had a crush on someone is great!**_

_**The question of when Steve will wake up has been asked a few times. I was planning on three flashbacks for each year, starting from three years old to ten years old. Steve is five in this flashback, so we still have ways to go, but I'm hoping to be updating more frequently now.**_

_**Thanks for the reviews and for reading the story!**_

Mary walks back into the hallway with a small smile on her face. She doesn't say anything as she sits beside Grace, but the little girl asks, "Is Uncle Steve feeling better?"

"He squeezed my hand," Mary says quietly, her smile growing. "I was talking to him and he squeezed my hand."

Catherine feels a new wave of hope when she hears Mary's words. She stands up and says, "I'm going to see him." She almost runs to Steve's room and sits beside the bed.

"Steve," she whispers, holding his hand. "Can you hear me?"

A few moments pass but there's no sign of Steve being able to hear Catherine. The level of hope she felt earlier is decreasing and she asks, "Can you hear me, Steve?"

A couple seconds go by before Catherine feels Steve lightly squeeze her hand. The movement was so faint that she thinks she might have imagined it, but then it happens again.

Catherine's hope returns to her and she can't keep the grin off her face.

She decides to tell Steve something she's remembered for many years, something that she's thought about a lot recently. "Do you remember kindergarten, Steve?"

_Steve was five years old and in kindergarten, and he liked to think he was one pretty cool kid. He had a lot of friends and he was the best at the games he and his classmates played during recess._

_But there was a problem and that problem was a girl in his class. Her name was Catherine and she was the fastest reader in the whole kindergarten. She could even write her name in cursive already, and they weren't supposed to learn cursive until second grade. The problem was Steve had a crush on her but he thought she didn't like him back._

_One day at recess, Catherine and her friends Amy and Nicole were sitting under a tree. Instead of playing with his friends, Steve went to talk to Catherine. "Hi, Cat."_

_Nicole stood up and crossed her arms, sending a scowl in Steve's direction. "Go away! Cat doesn't want to talk to you so leave!"_

_Amy rose to her feet as well, also crossing her arms. She added, "Yeah, boys have cooties! Go away! Cat doesn't like you!"_

_Steve looked over at Catherine who was still sitting under the tree, and just like her friends, her arms were crossed._

_"I don't have cooties," Steve tried to explain._

_Catherine glared and walked over to him. "Leave me alone."_

_"But I just wanted to talk to you."_

_"I don't care! Leave me alone!"_

_A hurt look took over Steve's face. "But I like you."_

_"Well I don't like you!"_

_"But I want to talk to you and I don't have cooties and I like you and I'm really nice. My mom says so."_

_"Go away!"_

_"I just-"_

_Catherine raised her hand and slapped Steve across the face. "Now will you leave me alone?"_

_Steve brought his hands to his cheek, immediately covered the side of his face Catherine hit. He wasn't supposed to hit girls so he didn't strike back._

"And I hit you," Catherine recalls, smiling slightly as she thinks about her behavior when she was five years old. "You were the perfect gentleman, of course, and you didn't hit me back. Then we got sent to the principal's office, remember?"

_Steve's dad walked in, dressed in his uniform, meaning he came straight from work. __Steve's mom arrived not long after, still in scrubs. She also came directly from work._

_Catherine's parents were there, too. Everyone was seated in the principal's office as they listened to Steve's and Catherine's story of what happened at recess._

_"Catherine, you know better than to hit people," her dad said sternly, giving her a pointed look._

_"I know, Daddy, I'm sorry."_

_"Don't tell me you're sorry, honey. Tell Steve."_

_Reluctantly, Catherine turned to face Steve. "I'm sorry for hitting you."_

_"I'm sorry for annoying you," Steve apologized._

"The next day I told you that I liked you, too," Catherine states, squeezing Steve's hand. "But we were never in the same class again until high school in our senior year. We had English together, remember?"

Catherine finds herself wiping away tears from her eyes. "Please wake up soon, Steve."

She looks up when she hears footsteps. Kono is standing there with a sad smile on her face. "Hi, Catherine."

Catherine weakly smiles back. "Hi, Kono. He squeezed my hand twice."

"He's getting better, even if it's slowly." Kono takes the seat on the other side of Steve's bed. "I would be nowhere if it weren't for Steve. Without Five-0, I would've been just some rookie who was never given a chance. I don't know if you know anything about Chin resigning from the force, but it was a pretty big deal, and since we're family, HPD would never have trusted me. Chin was innocent. He was protecting our family."

"That's very noble of him to protect the people he loves," Catherine says, respecting Chin's decision.

Kono nods. "It was. I have Chin, Steve, and Danny to thank for where I am today. They've taught me everything I need to know." Kono pauses for a moment before looking at Catherine. "I can't even imagine how hard this must be for you. I can see how much you love him. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you if you need anything."

"Thank you so much. Everyone's been so welcoming since I came here."

"You're officially part of our _ohana _now," Kono explains.

Catherine smiles. "I'm very happy to be a part of it."

She thinks about how lucky she is to have Steve as her boyfriend. He's a truly amazing man. After listening to Kono's story, Catherine realizes how Steve will do anything for his family. He gave Kono, a rookie cop, a chance. Catherine's sure he's done countless other things to help his family.

During the time Steve had been in the hospital, Catherine fell deeper in love with him. The bad part about that was the terrible circumstance that happened under. She wishes something other than Steve being hospitalized after being shot made her realize how much she loves him.

Catherine smiles when Steve squeezes her hand again.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**Here's flashback number eight. Please share your thoughts!**_

"Daddy, why can't I see Uncle Steve?" Grace asks, a pout on her face. "I just want to make sure he's okay!"

"I know, monkey, but Uncle Steve's not feeling good," Danny tries to explain, but he knows it won't do any good. His daughter is one determined little girl. Her determination is something he likes to think she inherited from him.

Grace stamps her foot. "But Daddy, I wanna see Uncle Steve!"

A stern look takes over Danny's face. "Grace Williams, if you throw a tantrum I'm going to take you home so you can sit and think about how to behave properly. Do you understand?"

Scowling, Grace says, "Fine."

Danny sighs. "Sweetheart, I know you want to see Uncle Steve, but let's just wait until he's feeling better, okay, Grace?"

Grace nods to show she agrees. "Okay."

Danny pulls Grace close to him, gently rubbing her back. "I know you're scared, monkey. I am, too. We all are. But Uncle Steve's been doing better. He squeezed Mary's and Catherine's hands. Everything's going to be okay, Grace. Danno loves you."

Grace leans into her father's strong, protective (let's face it, _over_protective-she's only nine and he's already worried about boys calling her) arms. "I love you, too, Danno."

Meanwhile, Chin goes into Steve's room. He sits down as he thinks about something from years ago, back when John McGarrett was his training officer. He remembers a story John told him about his son.

_When Steve was five years old, his father asked him what he wanted to be when he grew up._

_That was a good question. What _did _he want to be when he grew up? There were so many different things that he just couldn't decide. He had many years to choose a career, but did he already know what he wanted to be?_

_He looked up at his dad when he knew the answer. "I want to be a cop, Dad. Like you."_

_Steve thought his father would be proud that he wanted to be just like him when he grew up. He didn't expect Dad to sit in silence for a moment with a sad look on his face._

_"What's wrong, Dad?"_

_John hesitated before answering. Then he said, "Steve, be...be anything but that."_

Now Steve knows what his dad meant back then. He understands completely. It's a hard life. He's seen the effect being a cop can take on one's family. He witnessed it first hand growing up, being part of a cop's family. He knows Rachel lived in fear and she couldn't take it any more. He knows Chin broke things off with Malia because of the accusation of being a dirty cop. He's seen Grace's scared eyes when she found out her father was in the hospital.

Steve had been planning on proposing to Catherine, but now he wonders if she even wants the life of a cop's wife. He thinks that since he was shot, Catherine must have realized how dangerous his life is. Could she handle that? She could handle him being a SEAL, but that was when he was on classified missions when she couldn't know where he was.

_Steve knew that some nights his dad had to work late and he wasn't able to tell him goodnight. On those nights, Steve would stand on the couch in the living room and stare out the window, wishing Dad would be back soon. He'd stay up past his bedtime until his mom finally said he had to go to sleep. Sometimes he even fell asleep on the couch._

_There was one night when Steve fell asleep on the couch that he remembered well. His mom walked downstairs after tucking Mary in. She sighed sadly as she saw Steve looking out the window._

_"Sweetie, you need to go to sleep in a few minutes." Sarah headed over to the couch where her son had turned around to face her._

_"Can I wait till dad gets home?"_

_Again Sarah sighed. "He could be home very late, Stevie, and you need to get some sleep."_

_"I'll sleep on the couch. I want to be here when Dad gets home."_

_Sarah couldn't help giving in when she saw the look on Steve's face. "Alright, you can stay here. I'll be right back."_

_Steve nodded and turned to look out the window again. About a minute had passed when his mom came back with a pillow and a blanket in her hands._

_"Here you go, Stevie," she said, placing the pillow on one end of the couch._

_Steve rested his head on the pillow and soon Mom put the blanket over him._

_"Do you want me to stay with you?" Sarah asked as she lovingly put her hand on Steve's shoulder._

_"Yes, please," Steve said, remembering his manners taught to him by his parents._

_Sarah sat at the other end of the couch. "Goodnight, sweetheart."_

_"Goodnight, Mom."_

_It didn't take long for Steve to fall asleep. It was way past his bedtime and he was exhausted._

_Steve had been sleeping for twenty minutes when the door to the house opened. He woke up as the sound of the rain could be heard much more clearly. The door closed again, taking the rain with it._

_"Dad, you're home!" Steve exclaimed, jumping off the couch. He reached for his dad to pick him up._

_John lifted his son off the ground. This was the first night this week he came home to find Steve awake. "Hey, buddy. What are you still doing up?"_

_"I was waiting for you to come home," Steve explained, yawning at the end of his sentence._

_"Let's get you upstairs," John said, beginning to walk to Steve's room._

_Sarah smiled as she watched the scene in front of her. Steve was so happy to have his dad there to tuck him in and say goodnight. She followed John upstairs._

_For the first night that week, Steve had a smile on his face as he climbed into his bed. He didn't even comment on seeing his parents kiss, which he usually exclaimed "Ew!" when that happened. He was just happy to have his mom and dad there to tuck him in._

Steve now understands why his father told him to be anything but a cop. It's taken him years, but he finally understands.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**Here's the ninth flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

Lieutenant Tom Pukahi of the Honolulu Police Department rushes through the front doors of the hospital. His wife, Leah, just called him saying their "nephew" had been shot.

Tom and Leah haven't seen Steve in years. They didn't even know he was on the island until Leah found out he was in the hospital.

Tom goes to where Leah told him Steve's room was located. He sees a lot of people waiting outside, worry written all over their faces. He recognizes Chin Ho Kelly, who was just a rookie cop with John McGarrett as his training officer the last time he saw him.

He also sees Mary, but she already saw him. She walks over to give him a hug.

"Uncle Tom," she greets.

"Hi, sweetheart. Leah told me your brother's here."

Mary nods sadly. "We're just waiting for him to wake up, but I think he's getting better. He squeezed my hand and Catherine's hand." Mary goes on to introduce Tom to everyone.

Soon Tom goes to see Steve. He has to close his eyes at first. This is not how he remembered John's and Sarah's son. Not at all how he remembered him.

* * *

><p><em>At five years old, Steve decided he was going to grow up and be a big kid. And that included-<em>

_"Stevie!"_

_"Don't call me that, Mom!"_

_-that included no longer being called "Stevie." He wasn't a little kid anymore._

_"Fine, then, _Steve_," Sarah says, emphasizing that she was calling her son by what he' would like to be called. "Auntie Leah and Uncle Tom are going to be here soon. They're bringing the baby."_

_Steve sighed with frustration. "Babies are loud and boring."_

_"Steven, you need to be nice while they're here. I don't want to hear something like that come from you again. Otherwise you'll be upstairs in your room in time out. Do you understand?" Sarah questioned with a warning tone._

_"Fine. I'll be good."_

_Ten minutes later, Leah and Tom arrived with their daughter, Kendra. Steve sighed when he heard everyone talking about the baby. He just didn't understand how something so loud and boring could be called "cute" and "adorable."_

_But he was nice the whole time they were there, just like his mom told him to be._

_"I'm glad you listened to me, Stevie. Oh, I'm sorry. I mean _Steve_," Sarah corrected herself, smiling at her son._

_"It's okay, Mom, you can still call me 'Stevie' until I'm six," Steve explained. "Then you have to call me 'Steve.'"_

_"Alright. I'll be sure to remember that."_

_"When I'm six, you _have _to call me 'Steve.'"_

_"But you'll always be my little Stevie." Sarah lifted her son off the ground._

_She was met with protests. "I'm too big to be carried!"_

_Sarah put Steve back on his feet. "I'm sorry. I forgot you're not a little kid anymore."_

Steve remembers that his mom really never stopped calling him 'Stevie.' Everyone else did by the time he was six, including his father and sister, but Mom never did. She always said he was her little Stevie and she could never stop calling him that.

He eventually stopped telling her to say 'Steve.' Secretly he didn't mind being called that, just not around his friends.

* * *

><p>Leah walks to Steve's room when it's time for her break. She sees Mary sitting there and hugs her. Mary tells her that Tom is in Steve's room. Leah nods, thanking her "niece" and goes to find her husband.<p>

She gasps at the sight of Steve. He looks so broken, not like the boy she used to know who was always on the move.

"I can't believe I didn't know he was here until now," Leah says. She's mad that of all people, Gwen Peters is the one that informed her Steve is here. Leah stills works in pediatrics, so she doesn't come to this wing of the hospital on a regular basis. She still can't believe that she heard the information from Gwen, the same nurse that she "saved" Steve from being treated by when he had gotten his tonsils removed. Leah feels like an awful person since she didn't even know her nephew was here.

"You couldn't have known," Tom replies as his wife sits beside him. "Did you call Kelsey?"

"She's on her way."

Even though she was two years younger than Mary, Kelsey had been best friends with her. When Mary left Hawaii, they still kept in touch.

* * *

><p>Mary sees her best friend walking down the hallway. She smiles; the last time she saw Kelsey was four years ago when they went with a bunch of their friends to New York.<p>

They go to the hospital cafeteria to eat and get caught up on the last four years.

"I heard about your dad. I'm so sorry," Kelsey says, sadly looking at her best friend.

"Thank you." Mary doesn't say anything for a moment, just sits in silence. Finally she says, "So what's new?"

Kelsey holds her hand up to show an engagement ring and smiles. "I'm engaged."

"Tell me everything!"

Kelsey gives Mary all the details on her upcoming wedding and asks her to be her maid of honor because even if they haven't seen each other in a while, they still are like sisters and know each other better than anyone. Mary says it would be a honor.

All the cheerfulness of the wedding talk fades away when Leah asks, "How's your brother doing?"

"He squeezed my hand and Catherine's hand. Other than that, he hasn't given any other sign that he's okay."

"Catherine?"

"His girlfriend," Mary explains. "I think they're really in love with each other. I feel bad that I was rude to her before all this. You know how I can be."

Kelsey laughs. "Oh, yeah. I know."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**Here's the tenth flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

Catherine is sitting beside Steve's bed, holding his hand. She's staring at his closed eyes, wishing more than anything that they'd open soon. Even though more time has passed with Steve unconscious, Catherine doesn't lose any hope. Steve is strong; he's not one to back down from something easily. He'll pull through. Catherine's sure of it.

She looks up when she hears footsteps. It's Rachel, Danny's ex-wife and soon-to-be wife again. Catherine's only met her once, briefly, when she came to the hospital yesterday to bring Grace after school.

"I know asking if you're okay is a lousy question," Rachel begins quietly, her accident evident, sitting down on the other side of the bed. "But really, are you okay?"

Catherine sighs and closes her eyes for a second before she looks at Rachel. "I'm...getting along, I guess. The best I can, you know?"

Rachel nods because she understands exactly what Catherine is going through. She's been in that position before and the feeling is so hard to cope with. "I know what you're going through. I know exactly how you feel. I've gone through this before. It was years ago, before the divorce, while I was pregnant with Grace, actually, five months. I remember always having trouble falling asleep without Danny there. One night he called at about seven and told me he had to work late. Of course I couldn't fall asleep. I was laying in bed when the phone rang at one-thirty in the morning. It was Danny's partner. To this day, I can remember every word he said." Rachel closes her eyes at the painful memory and, burying her face in her hands, takes a moment to find the strength to continue. She looks at Catherine and says, "So I went to the hospital and there he was, looking just like Steve does now. But he made it because he's strong, and I know Steve is, too. Danny woke up a few days later."

"It's been a few days already," Catherine says, and she's ashamed at how pathetic her voice sounds. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to whine. Thank you for sharing your story with me. It means a lot to me."

Rachel gives her a sad smile, the understanding evident in her eyes. "If you need anything, Catherine, please know that I'm here for you."

Catherine nods with a smile. "Thank you very much, Rachel. Everyone's been so welcoming and supportive even though you hardly know me." She's silent for a moment as she looks at Steve. Then she wonders, "Do you think he can hear us?"

_Yes_, Steve wants to say. But there are still moments from his childhood that he wants to remember, to relive...

_Steve was six years old when he started to learn how to surf. He'd been begging his parents for a while for lessons because if they could surf, so should he. Of course his mom wasn't very happy with the idea of him surfing, so it took a while for her to agree. There was one time when Steve heard a conversation between his parents about letting him surf._

_"Why can't he, Sarah? The poor kid's been begging. It'll make him happy."_

_"He's six years old, John," Sarah said as she washed the dishes. Her husband was clearing the table. "That's why he can't."_

_"Don't you want your little Stevie to be happy?"_

_Sarah stopped what she was doing because she knew what John was trying to do. "Don't think for one second that I'm going to let you use our son's happiness against me, no matter how many times you say little Stevie."_

_"So you want your little Stevie to bed sad?"_

_Sarah rolled her eyes but said, "I want him to be safe."_

_"Me, too, and I want to see him happy."_

_Sarah sighed as she continued to wash the dishes. "Fine, then, he can learn how to surf. But one of us has to watch at all times. I don't care how good of a surfer Mamo is. I won't be able to stop worrying about him."_

_That was when Steve realized his mom was crying a little bit and he knew it was because she still thought he was a little kid and not a big boy. He wanted to hug her so she didn't feel sad anymore about him growing up but he was supposed to be in bed. If he went into the kitchen, his parents would know he was awake and not upstairs in his room and he'd be in trouble. Anyway, Dad was already hugging Mom. They started talking about other things but he stayed there in case they started talking about him surfing again._

_Suddenly Mom starting giggling. "Jack!" she exclaimed and Steve saw her hit Dad with a dish towel but he wasn't worried because it was clearly a joke. His dad starting laughing and soon his parents were kissing. With a disgusted look on his face, Steve went back upstairs to go to sleep. He would be in trouble anyway if his parents found out he wasn't in his room, trying to fall asleep._

_The next day was Steve's very first surfing lesson. They didn't go out on the water, just focused on the basics. Steve tried not to be impatient because he knew this was how he had to start learning, but he really wanted to actually surf._

_As his surfing lessons went on, Steve became better and better. There was even a time when his dad took him out on the water with him._

It was a happy memory. Surfing lessons were some of the best moments from his childhood.

Steve can still hear Catherine and Rachel talking. He squeezes Catherine's hand and he hears her tell Rachel. He wants to tell her that he should be awake soon, that he's almost ready, but the memories are still there, impossible to ignore.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**I'm sorry it's been so long since I updated, but I'm introducing two new characters in this chapter so I wanted to make sure there was a good back story for them.**_

_**Here's the eleventh flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

Kim and Phil Roberts walk quickly through the hospital corridor, worry filling their steps. When Mary called to tell them Steve was in the hospital, they booked a flight to Hawaii and made reservations at a hotel. They wouldn't be leaving until they knew what was going on with Steve.

As soon as she sees them, Mary greets Kim and Phil with hugs and tears. She's so thankful that the family is all gathering here, waiting for Steve to wake up. Because he will wake up. They all know how strong he is. He _has _to wake up.

But everyone still worries.

_"We're going on vacation."_

_Those words made a certain six-year-old very excited. His mom and dad didn't tell him where they would be going; it was a surprise._

_But still, Steve was worried because he thought Hawaii was the best place in the world and what if wherever they went wasn't as fun?_

_For this reason, he constantly asked his parents where they were going. He received the same answers over and over again. "It's a surprise." "You'll see when we get there." "It'll be fun, don't worry."_

_Well, he was tired of these answers. He was going to find out where they were going all by himself._

_Little did Steve know that would be very hard. He searched for papers that had something to do with going on vacation, but he couldn't find anything. He was about to give up his search when he saw a folded piece of paper with pictures on it. A brochure._

_He grinned. This had to be it. His smile fell when he realized he had never heard of the place the brochure was about. Miami? Where was Miami? He looked all over the paper, trying to discover where Miami was located. Most words he was able to read because he was very smart and he knew this. But some words were too big for him to understand, so he skipped over them. He'd learn them someday, just not now._

_There. He finally found it. There was a map on the back of the brochure and the caption read _Miami, Florida_. Florida. He knew it was a state, just like Hawaii was a state._

_He looked at the pictures on the brochure again. There were beaches, which reminded him of Hawaii, and...something called the Everglades?_

_"Stevie, what are you doing?"_

_Uh-oh. That was his mother. Steve slowly turned around with the brochure still in his hands, a guilty look taking over his face. The next thing he did wsa something he knew was bad, something he knew he wasn't supposed to do, but he did it anyway. He tried to lie his way out of the situation. "Nothing, Mom."_

_Sarah, her arms crossed, looked sternly at her son. "Really?"_

_Steve nodded. "Really."_

_"Steven, what have I told you about lying?"_

_"Mom, I-"_

_"Steven, what have I told you about lying?" Sarah questioned again, this time her tone more strict._

_Sighing, Steve said, "Lying is bad and I'm supposed to always tell the truth." Those words were what his mother had taught him back when he was three._

_"If you know lying is bad, why didn't you tell the truth?" Sarah crossed her arms and looked at her son as she expected an answer._

_Steve avoided looking at his mom, instead keeping his gaze focused on the floor as he said, "I didn't mean to be bad. I wanted to know where we're going."_

_Sarah sighed and crouched down in front of her son. "I know you wanted to know, honey, but your dad and I wanted to keep it a surprise."_

_Steve remained staring at the floor with a sad look on his face. "Are we still going?"_

_Smiling, Sarah nodded. "Of course, Stevie. We're still going."_

_Steve grinned and flung himself into his mother's arms. Sarah lifted her son off the ground and carried him into the living room. As they sat down on the couch, Steve started to ramble on about Miami._

_"It looks a lot like Hawaii," he commented, pointing at one of the pictures on the brochure. "Look at the beach."_

_Sarah nodded in agreement and added, "But there's a lot of other things to do in Miami that we can't do in Hawaii. And you know what else is in Miami?"_

_"What?" Steve asked curiously, looking over the brochure to see if he could guess what his mom was going to tell him._

_Sarah laughed. "No, sweetheart, it's not on the brochure. Auntie Kim and Uncle Phil live in Miami."_

When Steve was sixteen, he was sent to live with his father's sister and her husband-Kim and Phil. They loved him and always made him feel welcome, but he had been homesick. Miami reminded him too much of Hawaii.

* * *

><p>He could hear their voices. A lot of people were here now, more than he expected. He knew Danny, Chin, and Kono would be there because Five-0 is <em>ohana<em> and they're always there for each other. Then his sister came from L.A. He had thought Mary was mad at him since he told her she had to go back to the mainland, but she came and he knew he would do the same for her.

Not that this is ever going to happen to his little sister. He's going to make sure of that.

Leah and Tom came with Kelsey. He never expected that to happen. They hadn't spoken with each other in years, so it came as a surprise to hear their voices.

Kim and Phil flew in from Miami. As soon as he woke up, he was going to apologize to them because he thinks he was never grateful when he was living with them. After all, he tried not to talk a lot while he was there. He just wanted to be left alone. And he has to admit on more than one occasion, he was flat-out rude to Phil and Kim. They simply tried to lift his spirits. He snapped at them and told them he didn't want to talk to anyone. Yes, he needs to apologize.

And thank them as well, because he wouldn't be anywhere without them. A lot of days he faked he was sick so he wouldn't have to go to school and talk to anyone. He figured Kim and Phil knew he was lying, but they let him stay home because they knew how much he was hurting. Kim, a teacher, tutored Steve when the days he missed started to add up and grew confused as to what he was supposed to be learning. No doubt about it, he would have probably had to stay back if it weren't for Kim.

Steve went to Anapolis because of Phil. He listened to his uncle's stories about his experiences in the Navy and that combined with his father's influence made Steve want to enlist. He came from a Navy family, that's for sure.

And then there's Catherine. Steve can picture her face, and from the tone of her voice, he can tell her beautiful features are probably filled with worry. He loves her so much and he's disappointed in himself that it took an event like this to make him realize that. He should've known sooner.

He's decided something. When he wakes up, he's going to ask Catherine to marry him.


	12. Chapter 12

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**Here's the twelfth flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

Catherine's shaking. She feels like the hallway suddenly became much colder. She had been in Steve's room when one of the machines started going crazy. Everyone had been ordered out of the room when the doctor came to check on him.

When the doctor steps out of Steve's room, Mary immediately stands up. "What happened? Is he okay?"

Dr. Keawe nods. "He's fine. You can see him now. It's all taken care of."

A wave of relief spreads across everyone in the hallway. Those were the words they wanted-needed-to hear.

"You're sure?" Danny questions, wanting to have a definite answer. He wants to be absolutely certain that nothing happened to decrease Steve's chances.

"Yes," the doctor confirms.

Mary sighs with relief. "Thank you, Dr. Keawe."

"Catherine?" Chin, who's sitting beside her, says. "Catherine, did you hear that?"

She doesn't respond. She's still shaking and she's staring at the ground. She shows no sign of having heard what Dr. Keawe or Chin said.

"Catherine?" Chin repeats, this time a little louder to try to get her attention.

The lieutenant blinks as she snaps her head up. "What did the doctor say? Is Steve alright? What's going on?"

"Steve's fine," Kono says, placing a hand on Catherine's arm. When she sees Catherine's pale face, she worriedly asks, "Are you okay?"

"I don't know," Catherine admits, still slightly shaking. "I think I'm going to be sick. Hold on." She pauses for a moment, trying to catch her breath. "I think I'm okay. The doctor said Steve's fine?"

"Yes," Danny says with a nod. "He said we can see him now."

Catherine quickly stands up and makes her way to Steve's room. She hurries to his bedside, taking his hand in her own. She has more hope now because Steve just pulled through. That means he's strong. That means he's going to wake up. Catherine knows he's going to.

_Steve was six when one of the windows from the back of the house broke._

_It was _not _his fault._

_It started one Saturday morning. Everyone in the household had finished eating breakfast and John asked his son if he wanted to go outside to play football. Of course Steve agreed enthusiastically because this was one of those rare times when his father wasn't called in to work._

_Steve caught most of the passes sent his way. He was very good at football, if he did say so himself._

_"Did you see that catch, Dad?" Steve asked his father, grinning as he held the football in his hands._

_"It was a nice catch, Steve," John commented proudly._

_Steve threw the football back to his father. He could tell from his dad's voice that he was proud of him._

_This time when John threw the football back, it went right over his son's head. Steve jumped, shooting his hands up to attempt to grab the ball, but it went soaring above him and crashing into the window._

_He heard his dad say a bad word that if Steve ever said, he would be in a lot of trouble. He glared at his father. "Dad! You're not supposed to say bad words! _You _told me that!"_

_"I'm sorry, Steve," John apologized. He ran towards where the window had broke, surveying the damage. When Steve started to walk forward, John stopped him. "Don't go closer. There's a lot of broken glass. You could hurt yourself."_

_They could hear footsteps, someone running down the stairs. It didn't take long for Sarah to make her way to the scene. She opened the door, surprise taking over her face as she took in the broken glass covering the floor and then she looked up at her husband and son. "What happened?" she demanded in the voice Steve knew was usually reserved for ordering time-outs to he and his sister._

_"I didn't do it!" Steve immediately reported, making sure his mother knew it wasn't his fault._

_"John?" Sarah asked quietly, her arms crossed._

_John was saved from answering as three-year-old Mary came running over to her mother. "What?" she questioned, her eyes growing wide._

_"Careful, honey," Sarah cautioned, picking up her daughter. "The window broke."_

_Mary looked over at her brother and smirked. "Steve did it!"_

_"I did not!" Steve yelled back. His sister was so annoying._

_"Steven, Mary Ann," Sarah warned. "Alright, this needs to get cleaned up. Mary, go sit on the couch." She placed Mary back on her feet. Sarah then reached for her son, carefully guiding him away from the broken glass and through the door. "Go sit with your sister."_

_"Come on, Mary," Steve said, dragging her away from the glass on the floor._

_"I guess we have to clean this up," John commented sheepishly._

_"We? I don't think so. _You're_ going to clean this up." On that note, Sarah turned around and walked away._

"I have to admit it. I'm scared. You're really scaring me here, Steve," Catherine says as she takes Steve's hand in her own. "Really scaring me."

There's no response other than Steve squeezing Catherine's hand.

"You're going to be okay. I know it," Catherine tells herself more than she's really telling Steve. She's still convincing herself that he's going to be okay.

She turns to look out the window at the dark sky. "Remember when we sat outside at your house all night? I said the stars were beautiful and you told me..." Catherine trails off, tears now in her eyes. She wipes at them to prevent them from falling. "And you told me I was...I was..." Now the tears are freely falling and she's unable to stop them. She doesn't really care. "You told me I was way more beautiful than any star in the sky."

Steve squeezes Catherine's hand again.

Catherine, now sobbing, rests her head down on the edge of the bed. "You have to be okay, Steve. Please, please, _please _be okay. I know it's selfish, but I need you. I need you, Steve. I..." She takes a deep breath, trying to calm down enough so she can speak. "I love you."


	13. Chapter 13

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**Thank you for the kind reviews for the last chapter!**_

_**Here's the thirteenth flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

_Steve was seven years old when he first learned how dangerous his father's job could be. It was one of those nights when he fell asleep on the couch after staying up late to see his dad when he came home. The sound of the phone ringing woke him up._

_"Hello?" Sarah answered, worried because she knew that a call this late while her husband wasn't home could mean something she didn't want to think about._

_Steve could only hear his mom's side of the conversation. She sounded scared, which in turn had him scared._

_"Okay, I'll be right there." Sarah put the phone down and put a hand against her forehead. The call was exactly as she feared. Picking the phone up again, she called Leah to ask if she could drop the kids off._

_A few minutes later, Sarah walked into the living room where Steve was sitting on the couch. "Come on, Steve. I'm taking you and Mary to Auntie Leah and Uncle Tom's house."_

_Steve didn't understand why they were going there during the night. He turned to look at the clock which told him the time was 12:03. It was late, basically midnight. Why was Mom worried and why was she taking them to see Auntie Leah and Uncle Tom?_

_But Steve didn't question her. He rose to his feet and waited for his mother to bring Mary downstairs._

_Mary fell asleep in the car, but Steve stayed wide awake. He reviewed everything that was going on. His dad wasn't home, the phone rang in the middle of the night, he could tell his mother was worried, and now Mom was taking them to Uncle Tom and Auntie Leah's house. What was wrong?_

_"Let's go," Sarah ordered when they reached Tom and Leah's house. She lifted Mary out of the backseat as her son climbed out of the car at the same time._

_Leah was already waiting for them when they made their way to the front door. Sarah gave her a hug and said, "Thank you so much. I'm sorry it's so late."_

_"Don't apologize. They can spend the night here. Go see him, Sarah," Leah said gently with a sad smile on her face._

_"Tom's with Jack, right?" Sarah's tone revealed how nervous she was._

_Leah nodded. "Yes. He called me from the..." She stopped, turning to look at the kids, and then thought better of her words, as she simply said, "He called me."_

_"Okay. Thanks again."_

_"No problem."_

_Sarah carefully handed a now-awake Mary to Leah before practically running back out to the car._

_"Steve? Are you ready to go to sleep?" Leah asked._

_Steve looked up at her and nodded, taking her outstretched hand. "I'm tired, Auntie Leah."_

_Leah smiled as she led the way upstairs. First she put Mary on the trundle bed in Kendra's room and then she brought Steve to the guest room._

_"Goodnight, hon," Leah said before turning the light off._

_"'Night, Auntie Leah," Steve replied quietly. He waited until she left the room before he sat up._

_Okay, he had to go through everything. He could figure out what was going on. He wanted to be a cop like his father, and that meant he had to be able to figure out what was going on._

_The first thing that happened was the phone call. It was weird that the phone rang in the middle of the night since that didn't usually happen. That was when Steve first realized that something was up._

_Next was his mother's voice. Her tone sounded worried. He wasn't used to hearing Mom's voice sound like that. In fact, he could only think of a few times when his mom really sounded that worried. One was from a long time ago, back when Steve was four and getting his tonsils out. Another was whenever Mary or he were sick. Mom also sounded worried whenever Steve went for a surfing lesson. Since he wasn't used to hearing his mother sound scared, that was another clue that something wasn't right._

_Then came his mom saying that she was taking them to Auntie Leah and Uncle Tom's house. They never went there so late before. And why wasn't Mom staying with them?_

_Auntie Leah sounded worried, too. And she said Tom wasn't home, that he was with Steve's dad, wherever he was._

_So what was going on?_

_The phone call in the middle of the night, Mom sounding worried, going to see Auntie Leah and Uncle Tom but he wasn't home...finally Steve figured it out._

_He threw the blanket off of him and jumped down from the bed. Steve quickly opened the door, running down the hallway. He knocked on Leah's bedroom door. "Auntie Leah," he whispered in case she was sleeping. "Auntie Leah, it's Steve."_

_A few seconds passed before the door opened. "What's wrong, Steve?" Leah asked, putting her hand on his shoulder._

_"Is Dad hurt?"_

_Leah's eyes grew wide, not expecting to hear those words from Steve. She didn't want to lie to him but she also didn't want to tell him the truth. Where was the happy medium? "He's not feeling good right now but he's going to be okay."_

_Steve stared back at her for a moment, not sure if he was going to accept Leah's words. "Are you sure?"_

_Leah nodded and smiled reassuringly. "Yes. You have nothing to worry about. Let's get you back to sleep, sweetie."_

* * *

><p>"I remember when Dad landed in the hospital when I was four," Mary says as she sits at beside her brother. "And now here you are. Steve, you have to wake up. Dad was okay. You'll be fine, too."<p>

She looks up at Catherine. "Has Steve ever told you about that?"

Catherine shakes her head. "No. I've never heard anything about it."

"Steve was seven. Mom took us to her friend's house. Then she left to go see Dad. He was fine."

"Steve will be, too," Catherine says firmly.

Mary nods in agreement. "He's strong. Just like Dad."


	14. Chapter 14

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**Here's the thirteenth flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

Catherine has her eyes squeezed shut and her hands clasped together as she sits in the hallway, waiting for the doctor to come out of Steve's room. She's hoping to hear some good news, but she'll be happy with hearing no bad news as well. She opens her eyes and snaps her head around when she hears the sound of the door opening. She can see Dr. Keawe step out of Steve's room. She watches as the doctor explains something to Mary. She doesn't realize she's holding her breath until she sees a smile appear on Mary's face. Catherine lets out the breath she hasn't realized she's been holding as relief spreads through her. It must be good news.

"Good news," Mary confirms as she sits beside Catherine. "Dr. Keawe says that Steve's doing better now. He's still not awake but the chances are better."

Catherine grins upon hearing the new information. She prays that things will continue to head in a positive direction.

_Steve was seven years old and in his mind, that was old enough to make important decisions. One of these decisions was to stay home from school._

_He really didn't feel like going. It was the last day before there was a week-long vacation and Steve knew they wouldn't be doing much in school. His options were either to go and have a boring day or fake that he was sick so he could stay home._

_Which option sounded more exciting? It was the second without thinking about it that much._

_So when his mother came to wake him up to get ready for school, Steve fake-coughed before he said anything. When he started talking, he did his best to make his voice sound like he was sick. "I don't feel so good, Mom."_

_"No?" Sarah asked, gently placing her hand on her son's forehead. "You don't feel that warm. Stay here. I'll be right back, honey."_

_As he watched his mother leave his room, Steve felt bad that he was lying to her. But he really wanted to stay home._

_When his mom arrived back at him room, Steve knew his plan wasn't going to work as soon as he spotted the thermometer in her hand. Uh-oh. She was going to find out soon. He had to do something...fake coughing, that was the best plan he could come up with._

_"I need a tissue," Steve announced, throwing the blanket off himself so he could stand up. He knew his coughs sounded very much like what they were-fake. He walked down to the bathroom, hoping his mother would believe he was sick. But the look on her face told him she knew he was faking._

_"Alright, Stevie, I'm going to take you to the doctor." Sarah had another idea to determine if her son was telling the truth or not._

_He tried his best to hide his surprise. "What?"_

_"If you're sick, you need to go to the doctor."_

_He couldn't go to the doctor. If he did, his mom would find out for sure and he'd be in a lot of trouble. What was he going to do?_

_"I really don't feel good," Steve said as he walked back to his room. "I don't think I should leave the house." He climbed back into his bed, pulling the blanket over him again._

_"Then let's see if you have a fever. Open up," Sarah instructed as she started to put the thermometer under Steve's tongue._

_"No!" Steve exclaimed, turning his head to avoid the thermometer._

_"What's the matter, Stevie?" Sarah asked._

_"I'm not really sick," Steve admitted, not able to meet his mother's eyes as he spoke his words with guilt._

_Sarah gave a small smile. "I know."_

_Steve appeared surprised as looked up at her. "Really? You do?"_

_Sarah nodded, sitting on the bed beside her son. "Yes, I do. You're not the best at faking coughs, Stevie."_

_"Are you mad at me?"_

_"Why did you try to lie?"_

_Steve shrugged. "It's the last day before vacation. School's gonna be really boring."_

_"You don't want to see all your friends before vacation?"_

_"I guess, but school's still going to be boring."_

_Sarah stood up, pointing in the direction of the hallway. "Well, you're going. Go brush your teeth."_

_"But Mom-"_

_Sarah stopped him. "I don't want to hear 'but Mom.' Go brush you teeth and don't make me tell you again."_

_At the stern sound in his mother's tone, Steve rose to his feet and began to slowly walk out of his room._

_"Don't stall," Sarah warned, sending him a pointed look when he turned to look at her._

_Steve sighed as he continued to walk out of his room and into the hallway, his steps having a quicker pace that time. His mom _always _knew what he was doing. She was just too smart._

"You're doing better now," Catherine says to Steve as she sits beside his bed again, her hand holding his. "Do you know that?"

All Steve does is squeeze her hand. There's no other response.

"You better wake up soon," Catherine tells him in a tone that can be taken as somewhat threatening. "Because if it takes you much longer to wake up, I might just have to kick your ass when you finally open your eyes, sleeping beauty."

He squeezes her hand again and Catherine swears she saw a trace of a smile on his face.

"But really, Steve." Her tone is serious now. "I'm so worried about you."

Catherine could swear she heard a very, very faint "Don't be." And the voice sounded exactly like Steve's. But his eyes remained closed.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**Here's the fourteenth flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

Mary and Danny are sitting on either side of the hospital bed as they shared stories of their experiences with Steve. Mary's are about their childhood while Danny's concern events that have happened since Five-0 formed.

"Mom used to yell at him," Mary states, beginning the next story as she laughes at some of the memories that rface in her head.

"About what?" Danny wonders, again paying attention to this story. He had listened as Mary told him countless stories from her and Steve's childhood. He's determined to learn some new things about Steve so he could use the information for comebacks during their bickering.

"Everything, but especially about playing with guns."

_As the McGarrett family sat around the table eating dinner on a night when John was home early, seven-year-old Steve was telling everyone about his day at school. One particular event that happened at lunch caused a family discussion._

_"Everyone was talking about how their parents are embarrassing."_

_"Good thing you don't have to worry about that, right, Stevie?" Sarah asked with a smile._

_But the look Steve gave her said otherwise. She dropped her smile and said, "You must mean your father."_

_"Nope," Steve stated, shaking his head._

_"So you think I embarrass you?"_

_"Sometimes," Steve admitted with a shrug._

_As Sarah scowled and Steve tried to look innocent, John attempted to hold in his laughter. He had to say, that kid could be damn funny and certainly knew how to get under people's skin._

_"Really?"_

_"Yes," Steve answered sincerely._

_"But your dad's not embarrassing?" Sarah questioned as she crossed her arms._

_"Dad's cool," Steve explained as his father extended his palm to give him a high five. "See?"_

_"So all he does is give you a high five and he's the cool parent?"_

_Steve shrugged. "I guess, but he's always really cool."_

_"Why? And it better not be because he has a gun," Sarah said knowingly with a stern look on her face. "We don't play with guns."_

_Steve sighed as he listened to the words his mother told him over and over again. "I know, Mom. You tell me every day."_

_"Maybe it's not enough if you think your father's the cool parent."_

_"You can be cool sometimes, too, Mom."_

_"Only sometimes, though, right, buddy?" John questioned, earning himself a glare from his wife. At least he still managed to keep himself from laughing._

_"Right," Steve confirmed with a nod._

_"Well, then," Sarah said simply as she stood up to bring her dish into the kitchen. Once she left the room, John started laughing._

_"It's not funny," four-year-old Mary said as she crossed her arms and glared at them, doing a pretty good, basically spot-on imitation of her mother. "Mommy's mad."_

_"That's why it's funny," Steve told her._

_"Okay, Steve, that's enough," John said, though he was trying hard to keep his laughter under control._

_Sarah walked back into the room and sat down again. She glared at her husband. "You think this is funny, John?"_

_"Of course not," he replied, but he was still laughing slightly._

_Sarah stood up again and left the room once more. Raising his hands in a kind of I-don't-know-what-to-do gesture, John followed her. "Sarah?" he called as he entered the kitchen._

_Mary watched as Steve stood up and silently walked to the door, peeking his head around to see the into the kitchen. He saw his mother hit his father in the arm with a dish towel. Dad was laughing and soon Mom was, too. Uh-oh. Laughing usually turned into kissing. He turned around and walked back to the table._

_"Mary? You're not ever getting a boyfriend." He shook his head, trying to get the thought out of his mind. His little sister was never going to be kissing some boy._

"I guess Mom telling him not to play with guns wasn't enough," Mary reflects with a smile.

"Not even close," Danny adds. "She didn't happen to tell him to avoid getting other people shot at?"

"He never listened and he never got in trouble. Me, on the other hand, I got blamed for everything he did. He was such a freaking mama's boy, weren't you, Stevie?" Mary rolls her eyes. "And look at him now. He grew up to be a freaking ninja. And he's overprotective."

The room becomes silent after Mary finishes speaking. She watches her unconscious brother with sad eyes and a matching expression.

"He'll be okay," Danny tries to assure her, even though he knows his words won't mean anything to her until Steve wakes up, which he absolutely will.

"Nothing was supposed to be like it is now," Mary states in a sorrowful tone. "Mom shouldn't have been killed. Then Dad wouldn't have sent us to the mainland. Steve wouldn't have joined the Navy. None of this would be happening. Steve shouldn't be in the hospital." She's struggling to hold back her tears, but she's stubborn, determined not to let them fall.

"Steve's going to wake up soon," Danny says in another attempt to assure Mary, but he doesn't know the right thing to say. He hasn't gone through the horrible events Steve and Mary suffered through.

"He has to." Mary bites her lip in a last effort to keep herself from crying. "He has to."


	16. Chapter 16

_**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Hawaii Five-0**_**.**_

_**The memories are in italics.**_

_**Here's the fourteenth flashback. Please share your thoughts!**_

"Again with the tie, Danny?" Mary asks with a dramatic sigh. She shakes her head disapprovingly. "I thought maybe one of these days you'd finally realize that you're the only one wearing something so ridiculous."

"What do you and your brother have against ties?" Danny questions as he takes a seat beside Mary outside of Steve's room.

At the mention of the word "brother," Mary seems to tense a little bit. She immediately starts thinking about Steve's chances. "More and more time is going by. Do you think he's going to make it, Danny? It's been so long..." She trails off, worry in her eyes as she looks at Danny for an answer she knows he can't give her.

The detective sighs, not knowing exactly what would be the right thing to say. "He's strong, Mary." Then in an attempt to bring her mind away from the topic, he asks, "Has Steve always been against ties and professional-looking clothing?"

It seems to work because a smile appears on Steve's little sister's face. "You could say that."

_Why did she make him dress up like this? Eight-year-old Steve was not happy with what his mother forced him to wear. Apparently she wanted him to look "nice" in his school picture. He rolled his eyes. What was the big deal?_

_When he walked downstairs and into the kitchen in the morning, he was greeted by the smell of breakfast, making him feel a little less angry. But he still stormed over to the table and sat down, determined to let his mom know how mad he was._

_"Good morning, Stevie," Sarah greeted, giving her son a kiss, much to his protest._

_"Mom!" Steve exclaimed angrily, pulling away from her._

_With amusement in her eyes, Sarah apologized, "I'm sorry. Let's try that again. Good morning, _Steve_."_

_Well, at least she didn't call him that stupid nickname. He wasn't some little kid. "Morning, Mom," Steve muttered, his arms crossed._

_"You don't seem too happy," Sarah commented, returning to the counter to finish preparing breakfast._

_"That's 'cause I'm _not _happy," Steve explained with little patience._

_"Watch your tone, Steven," his mother warned as she sent a stern look in his direction._

_His mom's look always made him stop whatever he was being scolded for. Sighing, Steve told her, "Sorry, Mom."_

_Hearing footsteps coming from the next room, Steve turned his head to see his father descending the stairs with Mary in his arms._

_John walked into the kitchen and placed Mary on a chair at the table across from Steve. He gave his wife a quick kiss and then turned to the boy sitting at the table. "Good morning, son."_

_"Morning, Dad," Steve mumbled in reply as he grumpily leaned his head against his hand, his elbow on the table for support._

_"Not very happy this morning?" John questioned upon noticing his son's behavior._

_"I have to wear these stupids clothes," Steve said as if that explained everything. Then he mocked his mother. "'You look so nice, Stevie!'" He rolled his eyes._

_Although John tried to contain his laughter at his antics, Sarah immediately scolded their son. "If you don't have anything nice to say, Steven John, don't say anything at all."_

_Steve had heard his mother tell him this several times before. "I know, I just don't like nice clothes 'cause you get mad if I go outside and get them dirty."_

_"I love nice clothes!" his little sister exclaimed enthusiastically. "I like pretty shirts and dresses and skirts and shoes!"_

_Steve sighed as his parents smiled at his "adorable" sister. Adorable. Yeah, right. Mary was always treated like a little princess, but he was forced to wear clothes he did _not _want to wear._

_"Well I _hate _nice clothes. Mom always gets mad when I get them dirty from going outside and running around."_

_"It's just for your school picture, Stevie," Sarah assured her son, placing a dish in front of him. "You can put up with it for one day."_

_"I guess so," Steve agreed with a sigh._

_"I know so," Sarah confirmed. "Eat your breakfast."_

"I remember how Mom used to make Steve dress nicely for his school pictures. He used to hate it," Mary points out.

"You don't happen to still have any of those pictures, do you?" Danny wonders, earning a laugh from Mary.

"Knowing Dad, everything is still somewhere in the house." She stops talking when she notices Steve's doctor approaching them.

Mary and Danny both stand up. They're tense, but they're also slightly relieved when they realize the look on the doctor's face is optimistic.

"How is he?" Mary immediately questions. "Is he getting any better?"

"Stronger," the doctor confirms. "The chances are better now."

Danny turns to Catherine, who had been getting the well-deserved sleep she had missed out on recently. She was constantly at Steve's side that she neglected herself sometimes.

"Did you hear that, Catherine?'

Her eyes flutter open and she's worried that something has happened to Steve. "What? What is it, Danny? What's wrong? Is Steve okay? I need to see him."

"Don't worry, nothing's wrong," Danny assures her. "He's stronger. The chances are higher."

Catherine releases the shaky breath she hadn't even realized she was holding.


	17. Chapter 17

**Taking into mind the Shelburne reveal in the second season finale, this story takes place sometime before then in order to fit in with the storyline of the show.**

Mary smiles as she flips through an old photo album she had found at home in her dad's study. The book was filled with images of her and her brother, ranging from first days of school to days at the beach.

Mary laughs at a picture of herself at five years old, wearing a pink leotard and matching tutu. She stood in the living room with her ballet shoes in her hand and a headband of small roses secure in her hair.

She smirks upon seeing a picture from Steve's first football game. She wonders if her brother remembers how their mom had almost not allowed him to play.

_H__e was eight years old! Of course he was old enough to play football!_

_"You're too young," his mom had told him, her tone indicating that the conversation was over. But Steve wasn't going to stop asking. He had set his mind to playing football, and that was just what he intended on doing._

_"Dad, can you sign me up?" Steve asked his father one morning. If asking his mother hadn't worked, maybe his father would say yes._

_John sighed, knowing this would be coming. He had suspected it as soon as he heard his wife tell Steve that he was too young to play football. "Son, you know I can't do that if your mom doesn't agree."_

_"Why can't you just sign me up anyway? I'm really good at football and I'll be really careful and I'll behave!" Steve knew he was basically whining, but he didn't care._

_"You should behave anyway, Steve. I'll tell you what. I'll talk to your mother about it. How's that?"_

_"Alright," Steve said reluctantly with a sigh. That wasn't the answer he wanted, but it would have to do for now. He really wanted to play. All his friends were already signed up and he wouldn't be cool anymore if his mom didn't let him play. And besides, he was really good at football. His dad even said so himself._

_"No. I don't want to hear anything else about it. End of conversation," Sarah said as she pulled her hair back, sitting on the bed._

_"Let the kid have some fun, Sarah. There's no harm in that," John said, trying to defend their son._

_But Sarah stubbornly shook her head. "I said no. Maybe in a couple of years. Maybe even next year. But not now."_

_"Why not?" John questioned, though he already knew the answer his wife would reply with._

_"He's too young," Sarah answered simply._

_"And all his friends aren't?"_

_Sarah sighed at her husband's words. "All his friends have unconcerned parents." It was a stupid response, but she didn't know what else to say. She had to admit that she babied Steve sometimes._

_"So you're a concerned mother?"_

_"That's right," Sarah confirmed with a nod. She leaned back against the pillow after switching off the lamp on the nightstand._

_"Some people could argue that 'concerned' could be replaced with 'overbearing.'" He regretted saying that as soon as the words left his mouth._

_"Really? And are you part of that group of 'some people,' John McGarrett?" She scowled at him, daring him to respond._

_"Just so you know, Sarah, our son is listening at the door." John stepped over to where the bedroom door was halfway closed and opened it. "Come in, Steve."_

_Steve debated going back to his room. He could lie and pretend like he hadn't been listening. He could say he was going to ask something but forgot what he was going to say. But his father's stern tone made him rethink that decision. He walked into his parents' room, hoping he wouldn't be in too much trouble for eavesdropping._

_"Come here, Steven," Sarah instructed, holding her arms out for her son._

_Steve walked past his father and sat beside his mother. He leaned into her embrace._

_"I'll let you play, Stevie, but you have to promise me something."_

_Steve's hope filled eyes stared up at his mom as he nodded. "I will!"_

_Sarah gave him a small smile. "Honey, you don't even know what I was going to say. You have to promise me that you're going to be very careful."_

_"I will be. I promise." He reached to hug her. "Thank you so much, Mom!"_

_"You're welcome, sweetheart. I can't wait to see your first game."_

"You have to see this, Catherine," Mary says, pointing to a picture in the photo album. She gently pulls the photograph out of the plastic and hands it to her brother's girlfriend. "This is Steve's first football game."

Catherine smiles at the picture in her hand. An eight-year-old Steve smiled up at the camera with a football in one hand. He proudly pointed to the "50" printed on the front of his jersey with the other. "He was so adorable."

"I remember Mom really didn't want him to play. She kept saying he was too young, but you know Steve. He wouldn't accept that answer."

Catherine laughs knowingly. "No, he wouldn't."

"Look, here's one of his high school football games." Mary hands another picture to Catherine. "I remember being dragged to all those games. They were so boring. I hated football, but it was always, 'You're supporting your brother.'" She rolls her eyes at the memories.


End file.
